Building block loading and unloading equipment



April 21, 1959 H. w. JONES- ETAL 2,883 7 BUILDING BLOCK LOADING AND UNLOADING EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. 8, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1i p Y J "i J I i Q: INVENTORS,

BY JAM} a ATTORNEYS Apri 21, 1959 H. w. JONES ETAL 2,883,075

BUILDING BLOCK LOADING AND UNLOADING EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. 8, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS BY m ' ATTORNEYS April 1959 H. w. JONES ETAL 2,883,075

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/ JW EA ATIQRNEII' United Sates Patent BUILDING BLOCK LOADING AND UNLOADING EQUIPMENT Application August 8, 1955, Serial No. 526,805

6 Claims. (Cl. 214-75) Harry W. Jones, Knoxville,

Cincinnati, Ohio, Knoxville, Tenn.,

This invention relates to improvements in building block loading and unloading equipment'adapted for receiving and transporting a quantity of building blocks, and for loading and unloading the same.

Various devices have been proposed heretofore for handling a quantity of brick, concrete blocks, and the like, piled in rectangular tiers so as to be handled as one unit. Such devices have usually been of limited capacity, capable of handling only a small quantity of such products as blocks and tile, or have'been very expensive and complex in structure so as to be unsatisfactory from a practical standpoint.

One object of this invention is to simplify and improve the construction of equipment for loading and unloading alarge quantity of buildingblocks, tile, 'or bricks, to facilitate the handling and transportation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the enclosure and securing of a considerable quantity of building blocks within a container therefor, where these blocks may be lifted in contained relation onto a transport vehicle, or removed therefrom with little danger of accident, breakage of the blocks, or injury to the workmen handling the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a container for enclosing building blocks which is capable of being lifted onto and removed from a transport vehicle and which can be set down over a quantity of blocks or receive such blocks therein, with'adequate provisions for securing the blocks in place in the container without requiring a bottom to the container and which will hold and transport the blocks securely without breakage.

These objects may be accomplished according to one embodiment of the invention by providing a container having enclosing opposite sides and front wall, but with the back of the container and the bottom thereof entirely open. The top may be open if desired. This container will enclose a pile or tier of blocks of suflicient quantity substantially to fill the area of the container from side to side and from front to back thereof, and the blocks will be held in place in the container by a cross member, separate from the side walls but which is anchored and secured in place under pressure. It is preferred that the cross member be confined 'by hydraulic power devices, connected with the opposite ends thereof, which will clamp the cross member securely against the blocks in the container under sufficient compressing action to retain the blocks therein. Suitable provisions may be made along the faces of the cross member and 'of the walls for cushioning the action of the blocks thereagainst, either by the use of pads of resilient material, pneumatic cushions or the like, or by inserting boards or blocks of wood therein to accommodate the pile of blocks.

Where the equipment is used in connection with a transport vehicle provided with hoisting mechanism 7 thereon, havlng spaced longitudlnally extending slll members or rails, it is preferred that a sheet of suitable 'ice material be placed over the rails to prevent the blocks from falling out of the container if thebracing action thereon should be released accidentally or otherwise. Plywood, aluminum grating or other suitable material, may be used for this purpose, although it should be sufiiciently light in weight to be handled readily by :a workman, for applying it to, or removing it from the transport vehicle.

The cross member may be entirely disconnected from the container, or connected therewith through :lifting means capable of raising this cross member out of the way when the container is being filled. The cross member is relatively heavy and it is preferred that some'lifting means be provided on the container for supporting the cross member and moving it into position with respect to the container for the application of a compressing action thereto for confining the blocks.

Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the block carrying equipment, showing the container in respectively difierent positions;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 from the opposite side;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation of the transport vehicle, showing a panel in place to close the bottom of the container;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed section through the container;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the container, showing means for raising and lowering the cross member; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof.

The invention may be applied and used'in'connection with any suitable transport vehicle, having hoisting means thereon, capable of lifting the desired quantity of building blocks, for transport on the vehicle. The latter preferably is a vehicle of the type having hoisting means capable of lifting the container into a carrying position and setting the container off the vehicle, moving it in either event with a load of building blocks contained therein.

The vehicle illustrated as one embodiment of the invention and as an example which may be used, is that which is shown in the Dempster Patent No. Re. 23,546, September 9, 1952, merely for purpose of illustration. Such a vehicle includes a chassis generally indicated at 1, having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending side rails 2, forming a trackway in which a-carriage' 3 is mounted for bodily movement forward and backward with respect to the vehicle chassis, as indicated by the dotted and full line positions in Fig. 1. The carriage 3 is provided with an elevator 4, usually operable hydraulically, for raising and lowering the container with respect to the chassis of the vehicle. The elevator 4 is provided with a cross bar 5, from the opposite ends of which are suspended lifting chains 6, having plates '7 on the free ends thereof for engagement with the coutainer. The construction and manner of operation of this lifting means are set forth more in detail in'the aforesaid Dempster Patent, No. Re. 23,546.

The container is designated generally at 8 and is capable of bodily movement to different positions with respect to the vehicle, two of which are shown in Fig. 1. In the full line position thereof, it is set on the chassis frame and may be removed bodily therefrom, as also shown in Fig. l in the dotted line position therein.

The container is formed by an enclosure including opposite side walls 9 and a front wall 10, suitably braced to provide a secure structure. The rear of the container is open, as also the bottom thereof, for receiving the buildingblocks. The top may be open also if desired.

Extending transversely across the open side of the consion force to confine the blocks in the container. A box girder may be used for this purpose. Each end of the cross member 11 is notched at 12, the notch in each end being open at the extreme end of the cross member to receive the compression member therein.

In the example illustrated, a power device, generally indicated at 13, is used for confining each end of the cross member 11. This power device preferably is of the single acting type, having a cylinder 14 in which a piston is operated with a piston rod 15 extending from the end of the cylinder toward the cross member 11. The piston rod 15 has an abutment thereon for engaging the notched end of the cross member, and may be screw-threaded and provided with a nut 16 for this purpose. At its opposite end, the power device 13 is pivotally supported at 17 on brackets. 18 secured to the adjacent side wall 9 of the container. Thus, the power device 13 is capable of lateral swinging movement about the pivot 17 relative to the side wall 9 of the container, being guided in such swinging motion within spaced guide members 19 on said side wall. The guide members 19 will retain the power device in the proper position for connection with the adjacent end of the cross member 11 when the latter is moved into its confining position at the bottom of the container.

As noted above, the power device 13 preferably is of the single acting type, capable of applying a confining force through the piston rod 15 to the adjacent end of the cross member 11, in a direction toward the front of the container (toward the right in Figs. 1 and 6). A source of fluid under pressure is adapted to be connected with the cylinder 14 of each power device, as through a conduit 20, one of which is shown in Fig. l and another in Fig. 2, connected, respectively, with the power devices 13 on the opposite sides of the container. The conduits 20 are supplied with fluid under pressure through a supply conduit 21, from a suitable pump 22, mounted on one side of the container, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The pump 22 is shown as of the hand operated type, although it may be operated by power if desired, or other suitable means provided for supplying fluid under pressure to the power devices 13.

The cross member 11 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as separable from the container and may be so used if desired. However, the strength required in this cross member is such as to make necessary the use of a relatively heavy structure, which is diificult to lift by hand. Consequently, it is preferred that the cross member 11 be suspended by suitable lifting means, such as flexible devices 23, in the nature of chains, cables, etc. These flexible devices 23 may be wound onto a roller 24 journaled at 25 at the top of the container 8. The bearings 25 are shown supported by arms 26 which extend above the cross member 27 over which the conduit 20 extends from side to side of the container.

' The roller 24 may be turned by hand, as by means of a sprocket and chain, generally indicated at 28, and operated by a hand crank 29. Any suitable means may be used for holding the hand crank securely in its adjusted position, as for instance, with the cross member 11 raised to the top of the container. A ratchet is shown at 30 for this purpose, although a chain or other holding means may be used, as desired.

It is preferred that the blocks be retained yieldably in place in the container. Accordingly, the cross member 11 has along its inner face a relatively thick pad of resilient material, generally indicated at 31. Sponge rubber, of the character of Neoprene, may be used for the purpose, or a pneumatic cushion, or other suitable material. Like cushioning material may be provided along the inner faces of the walls 9 and 10, if desired, as indicated at 32 in Fig. 4, for the purpose of cushioning the blocks at the bottom of the container, where the compression action of the cross member 11 is applied thereto.

Lifting pins are shown at 33 on the opposite walls 9, for connection with the-plates 7 of the lifting chain 6. These connections may be detachable readily, in a manner well understood with this type of hoisting mechanism, for setting the container off the vehicle, separate and detached therefrom.

The building blocks with which the invention may be used may be any of the conventional sorts, such as bricks, concrete blocks, cinder blocks, tiles, etc. These may be stacked or piled in a tier of suitable size or dimension, substantially to till the interior of the container 8, or the container may be set on the ground and filled by stacking the blocks therein. When the desired quantity of blocks is enclosed within the container, the cross member 11 is moved to the position shown in the drawings, and is drawn tightly into place against the exposed faces of the blocks at the open side of the container. This will squeeze the pile or tier of blocks by a compression action toward the cross member 11 and the front wall 10 of the container that is opposite thereto, whereby the entire quantity of blocks will be clamped at the bottom of the tier of blocks to retain the same securely in the container. Where hydraulic power devices are used for compressing the cross member into place, these may be engaged with the notched ends 12 of the container, after which the pump 22 may be manipulated by hand or otherwise, toapply the desired and required pressure to the fluid in the system, acting through the pistons in the power devices for pulling inward on the opposite ends of the cross member 11. An adjustment may be made, if desired, of the position of the cross member 11 relative to the cylinder 14, by adjusting the nuts 16. The power devices will swing in and out to and from their engaged positions for ready connection with the cross member or disconnection therefrom.

After the blocks are thus confined in the container, when sitting in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, the chains 6 are lowered for engagement of the lifting plates 7 thereof with the lifting pins 33 on the side walls 9 of the container. Upon operation of the elevator 4, relative to the carriage 3, the container and its contents will be lifted to an elevated position above the bed of the truck or the rails 2 thereon, in position to be set on the latter.

It is preferred, where the truck does not have a solid bed, that a sheet of material, indicated at 34 in the drawings, be used to form a bottom for the container. A sheet of plywood, aluminum grating, or other suitable material, may be used for this purpose, and may be laid in place on the rails 2 when the container 8 is in its elevated position above the latter. The sheet of material should be detachable, capable of being lifted into and out of position by a workman, to enable the hoisting unit to be used for other purposes.

The container is then lowered by the elevator 4 to rest on the rails 2 of the chassis frame, or on the sheet 34. The load is not released from the container but is retained therein by the compression action of the cross member 11. This sheet 34 is employed, therefore, not to support the load during the transportation but in the event that the load should be released accidentally, to prevent the blocks from being dropped out of the truck or falling onto the lower part of the latter.

When the blocks have been transported to the point of use, this operation may be reversed for removing the blocks from the vehicle. The container is lifted by the elevator 4, after which the carriage 3 is moved to the rear or dotted line position in Fig. l, and the container then lowered into the dotted line position shown. Upon releasing the compression action on the cross member 11,

the blocks are then disconnectedfrom their contained position, and upon again raising the elevator 4, the shell constituting the container is slid upward, away from the pile of blocks, leaving the latter in a neat pile or tier, sitting on the ground.

In the event that blocks be employed which do not fill the container from side to side, any space between the pile of blocks and one end wall 9 may be filled with a wooden block or board. In the event of a substantial space, this may be filled more readily where the block or board is pushed against the pile of blocks as by screw clamps. Such blocks are not used for securing the building blocks to the container, but to prevent sidewise collapsing of the pile.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in certain embodiments, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein Without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

We claim:

1. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein, comprising opposite end walls and a side wall, said body having the opposite side and bottom thereof substantially open, a cross member extending transversely of the body at the open side thereof and adjacent the bottom in position for clamping the stack of blocks therein, and means mounted on the body for raising and lowering the cross member with respect thereto.

2. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein, comprising opposite end walls and a side wall, said body having the opposite side and bottom thereof substantially open, a cross member extending transversely of the body at the open side thereof and adjacent the bottom in position for clamping the stack of blocks therein, roller means extending transversely between the end walls of the body, cables wound on the roller means and connected with the cross member for raising and lowering the cross member with respect thereto, and means for turning the roller means.

3. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, the combination with hoisting means, of a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein comprising upright opposite end walls and a front wall, said body having the bottom thereof substantially open, means for connecting the hoisting means with the opposite end walls of the body to lift the body to an upright position on the vehicle and with the open bottom of the body at the surface of the vehicle, means for securing the stack of building blocks in the body and holding the same therein during support of the body on the vehicle, and a sheet extending transversely of the vehicle beneath the body, separate therefrom and lying on the vehicle, for protecting the lower portion of the vehicle against accidental release of the stack of building blocks.

4. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein, comprising opposite end walls and a side wall, said body having the opposite side and bottom thereof substantially open, a cross member extending transversely of the body at the open side thereof and adjacent the bottom in position for confining the stack of blocks therein, a shaft extending transversely of the body adjacent the open side thereof, bearing means mounted on the respective end walls and supporting the shaft, flexible devices connected with the shaft and with the cross member, and means for rotating the shaft to raise and lower the cross member relative to the body.

5. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein, comprising opposite end walls and a side wall, said body having the opposite side and bottom thereof substantially open, a cross member extending transversely of the body at the open side thereof and adjacent the bottom in position for confining the stack of blocks therein, a shaft extending transversely of the body adjacent the open side thereof, bearing means mounted on the respective end walls and supporting the shaft, flexible devices connected with the shaft and with the cross member, and means mounted on one of the end walls for rotating the shaft to raise and lower the cross member relative to the body.

6. In a vehicle loading and unloading mechanism, the combination with hoisting means, of a body adapted to receive a stack of building blocks therein comprising upright opposite end walls and a front wall, said body having the bottom thereof substantially open, means for connecting the hoisting means with the body to lift the body to an upright position on the vehicle and with the open bottom of the body at the surface of the vehicle, means for securing the stack of building blocks in the body and holding the same therein during support of the body on the vehicle, and a sheet extending transversely of the vehicle beneath the body separate therefrom and lying on the vehicle for protecting the lower portion of the vehicle against accidental release of the stack of building blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,763 Holan Jan. 12, 1937 2,094,762 Strickland Oct. 5, 1937 2,193,047 Truitt et al Mar. 12, 1940 2,213,629 Fontaine Sept. 3, 1940 2,308,648 De Vry et al. Jan. 19, 1943 2,437,806 Dempster Mar. 16, 1948 2,687,224 Fontaine Aug. 24, 1954 2,708,047 Seidle May 10, 1955 2,782,067 La Bonte et al Feb. 19, 1957 

